Northgate

King County and the City of Seattle are working together to redevelop King County’s property near Northgate Mall and the future Northgate Link light rail station.

Today, the four-block area bounded by First Avenue NE, Third Avenue NE, NE 100th Street, and NE 103rd Street consists of a bus transit center and surface parking lots. This redevelopment will create market-rate and affordable housing as well as retail and commercial space. The project will also be an opportunity to develop public features such as cultural amenities, open space, and bicycle and pedestrian connections in the area.

What’s happening now

We’ve incorporated public feedback gathered during our spring 2017 outreach (view summary PDF, 645 KB) into a request for proposals for developing the property. Now we’re seeking a world-class partner to make the county and city’s vision for the project a reality (see news release). Stay informed by checking this page or signing up to receive project updates via email or text.

Why Northgate?

Sound Transit’s Northgate Link station is under construction and scheduled to be finished in 2021. This transit-oriented development project is an opportunity to create a vibrant, inclusive community where people of all income levels live close to where they work, play, and shop. The project will be designed to connect adjoining neighborhoods with the transit hub and to be a catalyst for redevelopment consistent with the goals of the neighborhoods, the city, and the county.

The map below shows major investments that Metro Transit, the City of Seattle, and Sound Transit are making in the Northgate area.

The reconfigured transit center combines quality architecture and site design with new improvements for pedestrians and cyclists to promote walking, biking, and use of public transit. The new pedestrian bridge across I-5 and the cycle track on First Avenue NE—and potentially NE 100th Street—provide better connections to activity areas and a regional non-motorized network.

Metro intends to have an attractive east-west pedestrian walkway through the site from Thornton Place to the light rail station, which will encourage street level uses. Along NE 100th Street and Third Avenue NE, wider sidewalks, decorative lighting, street trees, and landscaping will also enhance the pedestrian environment. A public plaza will create an inviting place for people to gather and serve as an attractive entrance to the TOD.

Over the years, Metro has had several transit facilities in the Northgate area. In 1970, the first park-and-ride in our system was at Fifth Avenue NE and NE 112th Street, north of the current Target and Best Buy stores. In 1992, we opened the current transit center at Northgate. In 2002 we purchased land to the east and added parking for a total of more than 1,500 stalls in the area. In 2008, we consolidated our parking with long-term leases from Simon and Lorig and closed the park-and-ride at Fifth Avenue NE and NE 112th Street.

Today, more than 6,000 people board buses at Northgate Transit Center every day. This number is projected to grow to 15,000 by 2030. Bus routes that today serve downtown Seattle and the University District will be reoriented in 2021 to serve the Northgate Station/Transit Center instead.